Day Trip from Amsterdam to Bruges, Belgium
While staying in Amsterdam, I couldn’t help but want to visit Belgium to check out a small part of the country. After researching towns, we decided to train into the medieval city of Bruges for the day. The was a busy day trip but worth the effort to check out a different city. Continue reading to learn how we traveled by train from Amsterdam to Bruges and take a look at popular activities to do in Bruges.
Getting from Amsterdam to Bruges by Train
Our trains went from Amsterdam Central to Antwerp Central Station. After arriving at the Antwerp station, we went to the kiosks to purchase tickets to Bruges. I was not expecting the Antwerp station to be so beautiful. While at the station, you can grab a coffee at the Starbucks or a chocolate-covered waffle at the Chez Albert cart. The ride to Antwerp was a little over 2 hours and the train from Antwerp to Bruges was an hour and a half.
Entering Bruges
The old city of Bruges is a short walk from the train station. When exiting the station, I didn’t really see where to go but I followed the crowd and navigated with a map that was downloaded onto my phone. What looked like a regular train stop soon turned into the entrance to a medieval brick road and historic buildings. We could see the famous Belfry in the distance and started walking towards the bell tower. I was amazed by the beautiful city!
Attractions in Bruges
It’s impossible to see everything in Bruges in a single day. You can split your time by taking a boat ride through the canals, visiting the Market Square, venturing through museums, and eating Belgian waffles. Here are some of the popular attractions to visit in the city:
- Groeningemuseum
- Church of our Lady
- Saint John’s Hospital and Hans Memling Museum
- Choco-Story
- Basilica of the Holy Blood
You can check out the official Visit Bruges website here for more popular attractions
Shopping
There’s a chocolate shop on nearly every corner in Bruges! Stores offer bottled beer, soaps and perfumes, candles, and clothes. Bruges has a wonderful farmer’s market offering fresh flowers, fruits, cheeses, and hand-crafted gifts. The farmer’s market is typically open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. You can click here to view the current schedule.
Food
There are multiple snack carts and little shops for food in Bruges. The most popular food was waffles to go, loaded with goodies of your choosing like strawberries and chocolate. Another popular to-go food was Belgian fries with mayo. I also saw plenty of tourists walking around with popsicles and chocolate. It would be difficult to resist sweets while walking around the town!
Most restaurants offer Belgian and French cuisine. You can find lots of seafood, soups and salads, and plenty of pubs for your fill of beer. You can check here for a list of the popular restaurants in the city. Other restaurant options include steakhouses, Brazilian, and Thai cuisine.
A Charming Medieval City
I most loved learning about the history of the city and admiring the buildings. I visited during a crowded weekend day, but I had pleasant weather and spent the entire day walking around. I was so exhausted that I slept the entire train ride back. Bruges has much more than a day’s worth of things to do, and I would love to stay inside the city in the future.
It was hard to choose which city in Belgium to visit with a limited schedule. Bruges was the only city I had time to visit, but Ghent was a town that I was also interested in visiting and I plan to check out the city the next time I venture to Belgium. If you’ve been to Bruges or are planning to go, please share what you loved or are looking forward to doing in the city in the comments.
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